The annual Olde English Faire held in June has been cancelled, please continue to check back for information on the 2010 Faire.
Jubilee
College State Historic Site preserves a remnant of the school founded
in 1839 by Philander Chase (1775-1852), the first Episcopal Bishop
of Illinois. At one time, Jubilee College occupied a dozen or more
structures on a 3,500-acre tract. The school included a theological
seminary, a college, a classical preparatory school for boys, and
a “seminary” for girls, as well as small farming operations.
The
site’s centerpiece is an L-shaped building, the design of
which was adapted from an Anglican chapel near London, England.
Constructed between 1839 and 1844, the two-story native sandstone
building housed the school’s chapel, classrooms, and dormitory
space. Today the “restored” building’s chapel
wing contains representations of an 1840s Episcopal chapel, a first-story
chapel extension that served during the week as classroom space,
and a second-floor dormitory room. The recreated schoolmaster’s
office and library are located in the larger west wing, which also
contains a video theatre and museum exhibits. In 1972 the Jubilee
College site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Jubilee Cemetery, which adjoins the site, is private property.
Visitors
are offered guided tours of the chapel/schoolroom/dormitory wing
and the recreated library and schoolmaster’s office. An eight-minute
orientation video and museum exhibits outline the building’s
history. The college building’s first floor is accessible to persons with disabilities;
the second floor is not.
Visitor
facilities on the site include a large picnic pavilion and day-use
areas with many picnic tables. A 3½ acre lot, located on
the southeast corner of the site, contains a variety of Illinois
prairie plants. Other smaller plots scattered about the site include
an herb garden and a garden planted with flowers chosen especially
to attract butterflies.
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